Once spring arrives and the weather begins to warm up, many home owners begin to think about outdoor renovation projects – one of the most important being a backyard deck. A new or updated deck will transform your outdoor space, creating beautiful new spaces where you can entertain friends and family.

Decking Materials

With new advances in technology, there are now more options for decking materials and design than ever before. Determining what material and design you want can seem overwhelming. To narrow down your options, think about these three factors:

Cedar Decking

Hardwood Decking

Hardwood comes in an array of natural colours and patterns, is very low maintenance and its natural lifetime exceeds cedar, pine and synthetic decking.

Pressure Treated Decking

Pressure treated material has preservatives forced deeply into the fibers making it virtually immune to rot and insect damage.

Composite Decking

Composite decking is a relatively new material used for outdoor living. It consists of recycled materials and fibers (hard plastics and wood). Composite decking is more expensive than pressure treated lumber, but its long-term benefits will save you time and money:

It does not require treating, staining, sanding or other maintenance

There is no risk of cracking, splitting or rotting

It comes in a variety of uniform colours and textures that give your deck a clean consistent look

Because composite decking is made from a combination of recycled plastics and reconstituted wood fiber, rice hulls, bamboo fiber or other organic materials it is an eco-friendly option

And composite decking generally comes with a warranty, giving you piece-of-mind knowing it can be replaced if defects or breakdown occur

The cost of your deck will depend on the design, size and complexity of the structure. Before you begin your deck build, think about your goals for your backyard space and the aesthetic you want to create and identify your budget. You are on your way to a beautiful backyard.

Are you thinking of a new deck this summer and have some questions? Contact M-Squared Contracting; we’d be happy to discuss your dream backyard project.

Each year, the BILD Awards recognize the very best of Greater Toronto’s building and development industry. Toronto’s M-Squared Contracting is pleased to announce our nomination in three categories for the 2014 Awards. Our nominations include:

Renovator of the Year

Best Renovation $75,000 to $150,000

Best Renovation $150,000 to $300,000

BILD will announce the winners on March 14 at an Industry Luncheon. Many of Greater Toronto’s biggest builders, designers, sales and marketing professionals will attend the event.

According to Ms. Batista, VP of Membership for BILD, “the competition for nominations was fierce.” M-Squared is delighted to be among such impressive company.

The Houzz Community recently voted Toronto’s M-Squared Contracting Inc. “Best of Houzz 2014” in the Customer Satisfaction category. Customer Satisfaction honors are determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013.

M-Squared Contracting specializes in high-end residential construction, from additions to full remodels and new custom builds. We provide superior project management and general contracting services to a diverse client base in Toronto.

A leading platform for home remodelling and design, Houzz provides people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device.

From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world.

With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community powered by social tools, Houzz is the easiest way for people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help turn ideas into reality.

If you’ve seen our previous post on the Bamber Road project you’ll be interested in the progress we’ve made. This project began with the tear-down of a small 1950’s bungalow to make way for a beautiful contemporary 3500 square foot home. Now you can see that cool stair design we mentioned previously.

With virtually infinite potential combinations of styles and materials available, your kitchen backsplash can be your arena for creativity. The overall design and feel you’re going for in your kitchen will determine the materials best suited to the job. A couple of key considerations can help to narrow down your best options.

A while back, the backsplash used to be the exclusive territory of tile work. But contemporary kitchen design has expanded into a variety of materials making your kitchen backsplash options much more interesting. Now we’re seeing beautiful design with

Full stone slabs

Glass

A variety of metals

Each material comes with their own offerings in style and feel for your backsplash. To achieve an understated visual continuity, use the same material for both countertop and backsplash. This recent kitchen renovation demonstrates that striking minimalist look.

While some of the big questions about kitchen renovations are relevant here (classic vs. modern; rustic vs. sophisticated), the middle space occupied by the backsplash makes one question most important: will it provide smooth visual continuity, or stand out as a vibrant, eye-catching feature? With this in mind, you can start to examine the available materials:

Glass

Glass options are endless. Better suited to the modern kitchen, back-painted glass can complement a calm aesthetic with soft colours and basic patterns, or grab the eye with bold colours and flamboyant patterns

Etched glass can add an even more pronounced personal touch

Metal Backsplashes

Embossed tin embodies rustic elegance and brightly yet subtly draw the eye, depending on the ‘busy-ness’ of the pattern

Bronze is pleasantly subdued, and can gain patina over time, for a classic, rustic warmth

Stainless steel is modern and versatile. It can calm a busy visual scene with its clean efficiency, or be patterned (with great variety) to add a smart flair to any modern kitchen.

Once you’ve decided on the effect you’re going for, decisions about material become easier and more straightforward. Within material types, specific decisions about design and coherence await your personal stylistic touch!

Browse our kitchen renovation gallery to begin making some design decisions. And to discuss your dream home or kitchen renovation with an expert from M-Squared Contracting, contact us.

Design and Aesthetic Considerations for your floor

In a previous post on kitchen flooring, we discussed the merits of a few types of hardwood flooring. The last post focused exclusively on practical considerations. In this post we’ll talk about design and aesthetic elements.

Your aesthetic goals will influence the type of wood best suited to your kitchen renovation, so it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the wood types discussed in part 1.

Floors play a similar role to kitchen cabinets in the overall design scheme. Even though your kitchen floor might take a background visual position to kitchen countertops and fixtures, they support and unify the overall feel of the visual space. And, like cabinets, flooring can be used to visually calm a busy environment, or add flair to an understated motif.

Hue and Finish of your Wood Flooring

The Hue

As a general rule of thumb, darker wood hues convey traditional elegance, especially when the overall theme for your kitchen renovation incorporate darker tones. To create a more informal, modern atmosphere, dark flooring can be married with light features (cabinets, countertops).

Oak is available in a range of natural hues, and lends itself well to dark stains

Bamboo, while typically light in colour, can also hold a dark stain, blending classic and modern looks.

Light hues, on the other hand, tend to feel rustic, domestic, and do well to complement sleek, modern designs

Ash falls on the sleek end of the spectrum, with a characteristic light hue and subtle grain

Pine, on the other hand, offers the rustic feel, with its naturally knotty appearance. We also mentioned in the previous post that its long history of use as flooring means that authentic character can be found in the form of reclaimed antique floor

Painted flooring as an option for your kitchen

A less conventional option, painted flooring allows for maximal colour creativity, and a variety of feels. Bright colours can liven up a heavy visual atmosphere, or softer greys or browns can calm a busy aesthetic. Patterns in the paint allow for even more creativity and personal flair.

Wood Finishes

While finish is more practical than aesthetic, its importance can’t be understated! The kitchen floor is highly trafficked, spilt-upon and frequently swept and mopped. Wood flooring is an investment worth protecting. Make sure you select a quality finish that is up to par with the flooring itself.

Your kitchen floor is an investment both from the aesthetic point of view and resale value of your home. A well-chosen floor will serve both practical and aesthetic functions for years to come, making your kitchen a place people will want to be!

If we wrote about all the kitchen flooring options available to you, this post would be more like an e-book. We’ve chosen to focus on wood flooring because in the last 5 years almost every custom kitchen renovation that M-Squared has completed, the call has been for wood flooring.

Think wood floors for your kitchen

Whether used to subtle or bold effect, the choice of flooring material for your kitchen has a powerful impact on the overall feel of your kitchen renovation. Wood floors span the mid- to high-end of kitchen flooring, but warrant the investment through what they offer in durability, character, and warmth.

Your wood flooring options (with some pros and cons)

Oak floors

Oak offers good quality for reasonable cost, as well as the natural character of a distinctive grain pattern

Grain consistency is a general measure of quality, and as it increases, so does the cost

Ash flooring

The exceptional hardness of ash makes it a lasting investment

Its light hue and subtle grain make it versatile in a variety of kitchen designs, and suitable for further customization

Pine flooring

Pine has an intrinsically rustic feel, characterized by its pin holes and knots

Although its categorically a softwood, it is available in a spectrum of hardnesses, the strongest of which is the heartwood of the pine tree

Pine tends to gain character with wear, though it does maintain a pristine appearance

Because of its long history of use as a flooring material, there is an abundance of reclaimed, antique pine floors that combines a cost-effective kitchen flooring solution with authentic character

Bamboo

Bamboo floors are about equal in hardness to oak, and generally comes in lighter stains suited to displaying their fibrous grain pattern

The unique pattern is best suited to modern kitchens, although the growing use of darker stains with bamboo lends a more classical appearance

Bamboo is stable and wearable, however, because it is engineered rather than solid, it is crucial to ensure a sufficiently durable topcoat to protect it. Owners of large dogs, take heed

Engineered Hardwood as a kitchen flooring option

We couldn’t write a post about wood kitchen flooring without mentioning engineered hardwood. Available in all types of wood, engineered hardwood flooring has a core of hardwood and an outer layer of HDF. Engineered hardwood is considered more stable and versatile than traditional hardwood and does well in below grade installations (read that as – not your kitchen). There is so much we can say about engineered hardwood that we may have to devote a post to it.

Thinking of renovating your home or kitchen?

M-Squared Contracting has the comprehensive expertise and experience to make your custom renovation a personal and enjoyable experience. Contact us to discuss your project.

Kitchen cabinets are one of the first-noticed design elements of a kitchen and they can convey a multitude of stylistic and aesthetic feels.

The options available in styles and materials provide ample (sometimes, overwhelming) space for creativity and personal taste. Traditional and modern motifs each have their merits, but characteristics of both can be mixed and matched to achieve your preferred feel and effect.

During a kitchen renovation, take stock of the quality of materials for kitchen cabinets much in the same way that you do for kitchen countertops. Consider manufacturing quality, finish quality. Your overall aesthetic must be integrated with your stylistic goals.

Oak Finishes

Oak is highly durable, and natural characteristics of the wood give it a unique feel

Oak has a wide grain that makes it less suitable for painting, but its primary offering is its rough-hewn, natural appearance, and the variety of colours still allow a great deal of aesthetic options, matching comfortably in both traditional and modern kitchens

Maple Cabinets

Maple is fine-grained and light in colour, lending itself well to a clear finish, offering a natural look

Maple’s tight, even grain also makes it ideal for painting, especially considering its pale natural hue. It is important to note that it tends to absorb darker stains less evenly than light.

Cherry

Cherry’s hardness allows it to stand up to knocks and marring, and gains character over time, as it naturally darkens and reddens while maturing

Cherry is typically used to convey traditional elegance, but its high durability and compatibility with finishes make it highly customizable, while its dark hue makes it quite suitable for a more contemporary-style kitchen

Exotic, Imported, and Rare Woods

For truly personalized kitchen cabinets, a variety of ‘exotic’ woods provide premium quality, and a unique array of aesthetic offerings

Teak has a warm, natural feel, that can be modernized by contrasting with light, solid colours, but can also encapsulate a classic, vintage feel in a more traditionally configured kitchen

Mahogany has a deeper hue than teak, best-suited for achieving a timeless, traditional design scheme

Design considerations for your kitchen cabinets OR How to achieve the look you want

There’s a staggering range of design options available. Whether you’re going for a completely modern, or traditional look, or (more likely) a combination, there are two main ‘layers’ to consider. To blend contemporary with classic, use prominent elements like colour, material and door style set the overall tone, while capitalizing on dramatic details to inject your personal touch.

Cabinet doors

Doors are one of the first seen and most visible elements, and are one of the crucial deciding factors between modern and traditional appearance

Slab doors are seamless, sleek, and predominantly modern

Raised panel doors vary widely, but in general, communicate a classic elegance, often accentuated by ornate hardware. They also require sturdy hardware to mount (because of their weight). The style of millwork sets the specific aesthetic tone and is a huge topic in itself. What’s important to know is that its elegance is typically used in traditional design, but by no means exclusively.

Recessed doors have a visually calming simplicity and provide a relatively blank canvas for either a modern or classic look, depending on the use of other style elements like knobs, natural wood vs. painted, and contrasting vs. unified colour schema.

Flat doors offer some of the modern minimalist appeal of slab doors, but with room for stylistic creativity with knobs

Glass front cabinets can be married with both classical and modern designs, and virtually any door style (extremely rarely with slab). They can add more of your personality to the kitchen by displaying their contents, or frosted glass can be used to offset white cabinets, or contrast with wood hues

Cabinet Knobs

Knobs are a great detail to either highlight, or offset the predominant theme you’ve selected

Drop pulls amplify a classic motif, or offer a rustic touch to a more contemporary design. Choices vary from simple and minimal, to industrial, to highly ornate and decorative.

Classic knobs simple, understated, they allow the door to convey the motif while adding an element of visual balance. Wood or metal provide room to choose your desired effect.

Modern/custom are generally steel, sleek, and matched with modern design styles. Their modernity isn’t sterile. Warmth can be added through choice of rectangular vs. rounded shapes, and custom-made pulls can add unique artistic flair.

The cabinets you choose set the overall tone of your kitchen, so it is not a choice to be made lightly. By breaking down the decision into materials and style (overall and details), you can develop an overall aesthetic for your new kitchen.

With extensive home and kitchen renovation experience, M-Squared Contracting possesses a wealth of expertise. Contact us to discuss any aspect of any upcoming project.